Ecological Systems and Devices Annotation << Back USE OF BIOASSAYS TO ASSESS THE QUALITY OF SEDIMENTS IN THE AREA OF THE BARENTS SEA KOLA SECTION WITH A LOW LEVEL OF POLLUTION E.A. Gorbacheva Bioassays was used to assess the quality of the bottom sediments of the hydrographic Kola section located in the central part of the Barents Sea to the north of the Kola Bay, along 33ꞌ30 E. The toxicity of the sediment elutriate was studied for the larvae of the brine shrimp Artemia salina L. and the unicellular alga Phaeodactylum tricornutum Bohlin. It has been established that the quality of the bottom sediments of the Kola section corresponds to the categories «good» and «satisfactory». The deterioration of the quality of bottom sediments to the level of «satisfactory» (low toxicity) was observed at Stations 3, 6 and in the northern part of the Kola section. A decrease in the quality of bottom sediments was recorded in areas where, according to published data, a slight excess of the background level in terms of the content of several pollutants was recorded. At the stations of the Kola section, the quality of bottom sediments of which deteriorated to the «satisfactory» level, as well as at stations with good quality of bottom sediments, no structural changes in the bottom communities (literature data) due to chemical contamination were observed. Keywords: bioassay; marine sediments; Barents Sea; Kola section; Phaeodactylum tricornutum; Artemia salina. DOI: 10.25791/esip.11.2019.985 Contacts: - Pp. 41-47.